The leader of the Prosperity Party, which is currently in power in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, has been shot dead along with his security detail.
According to a statement issued by the area’s communications office, Girma Yeshitla was ambushed some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital Addis Abe when he was returning from a business trip.
The assassination was described as “shameful and horrible” by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who blamed it on unidentified “violent extremists” who he claimed preferred to settle disputes with weapons rather than via conversation.
The murder occurred after the federal government declared that a paramilitary group that had incited massive unrest and bloodshed in Amhara would be disbanded.
Mr Girma faced strong criticism from opponents of the force’s dissolution, who saw him as one of the faces behind the move.
The killing of senior politicians is not new in Amhara. In 2019, the regional leader and other top officials were killed in what was described as a failed regional coup attempt.